a culvert

How to use your eyes is a great book written by James Elkins. In chapter two he writes about how to look at a culvert. As some of the readers of this blog will know, I use walking as a method in my quest for silence and solitude. One of the side-effects of walking is noticing - and even stopping up to look at - ordinary objects of everyday life, as e.g this culvert I discovered at Ogna last weekend. Beautiful, isn't it?

In cities, Mr. Elkins tell us, nearly 100% of the rainfall has to be carried off by gutters and storm drains, therefore there are more and bigger culverts in populated areas. In rural areas, like Ogna, water is left to flow freely. Only small streams which comes in conflict with the road system has to be led trough culverts.

source: How to use your eyes